Mass Effect: Michael's Story
by Theboblinator
Summary: Well, this definitely wasn't the kind of life I was expecting. At first, I was just a regular street rat trying to survive my life day by day in the alleyways. Then, I'm thrown over a hundred years into the future thanks to some prototype time machine malfunctioning. Though, after a few years here, things are picking up and it's all thanks to a red haired Commander in the Alliance.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1: Well this is… Interesting**

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**Author's Note Part 1: Alright, I'll admit it. Reading other categories in Fanfiction while I'm trying to update my own was a horrible idea. You can't really blame me though! I was getting bored of the other categories I was reading, so I started to read some that I only knew a little bit about so that I could get a surprise from events that I ****_didn't_**** know about. And it worked… With a different outcome than what I was hoping…**

**Because of this, I ended up getting pulled into this series, and started to want to post my own story… Much like how all my other ones started out. So, this is my newest story that I've posted. However, I'm going to try my best to make sure I keep up on my other stories as well, that way they won't get left behind… ****_Again_****.**

**But, a warning to all of you reading right now. I don't really know that much about this series of games, so I'm only ****_just_**** watching some playthroughs of it in order to get a feel for the characters, as well as the outcomes that I'm going to have in here. Also, know that it might take a while for chapters to come out not only because I'm focusing on my others, but because I am ****_not_**** a fan of attempting to write out what happens in video games. Why? Because I have to try and either watch or play the game, and write out ****_most_**** of the dialogue, while at the same time making up my own. The reason I say ****_most_****, is because I don't want to ****_only_**** focus on the script in the games like I usually do for my other stories that focus on TV shows, and instead make sure to have more variable deviations because my character is a part of the story, thus changing outcomes more significantly.**

**As such, it will take a while to get out chapters, especially when I start to put my own twist on it. Yes, I've heard a ****_little bit_**** about the endings, and I've got to say, I'm upset with what I've heard so far. I don't have that much info on them, but the small amount that I do have does ****_not_**** please me. As such, I will probably be adding my own spin to some of the story parts that I do not like. (Such as the ultimate end to this entire series of stories. Yes, the three games will be separated into different stories. The only reason I would keep the endings the same is if they come out with a ME$, ****_not_**** a fourth Mass Effect game. Yes, there is a difference. By a fourth Mass Effect game, I mean that it still takes place in the Mass Effect universe but can have whatever twists it wants, while ME4 would take place in the universe, but in the same ****_timeframe_**** as Shepard and her team).**

**Alright, those are most of the warnings out of the way, and I only have one more, which happens to be the ****_most important_**** one. Because Mass Effect takes place with all the characters in their late twenties (As far as I can tell), that means that I'm going to ****_attempt_**** to write out my first story where my character is ****_older_**** than I am in ****_real _****_life_****. So, for the male adults out there who are upset with how I write out "Future Mike", well… I don't have anything else to say besides the fact that I'm attempting this at the age of 17… So, ****_yeah_****. Deal with it.**

**Also, for those of you who are confused as to just ****_why_**** Mike is going to be 17 at the ****_very_****_beginning_****, it's going to be for plot reasons. So yeah, ageing, slight maturing, and all the other timey-whimmy-wibbly-wobbly that comes with time differences. And no, that reference does ****_not_**** mean that The Doctor is involved in this. Sorry.**

**Anywho, I think I've rambled on long enough for a first Author's Note, and I guess that I should get on with the first chapter of this so that I can get back to updating my ****_other_**** stories. So, here's the first chapter of my newest story! (Which I'm quite certain half of you are ecstatic about, and the other half is pissed at me for starting ****_another_**** story…)**

**(Note: First chapter will be in third person. The chapters that follow will mostly be in Mike's POV, unless stated otherwise.)**

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_Hey there. Fancy seeing someone like yourself here. I mean, what? Did you come here for my dashing good looks?... No?... Nothing?... Not even a chuckle? Damn, everybody's a critic. Anywho, the reason you're here is probably because you want to hear the tale of how I single handedly… No? Ah well, it was worth a shot._

_Now, the _real_ reason you're here, is probably to figure out just where the fuck I'm going with this… And honestly… Even I myself don't have a clue. I mean, you try waking up in the middle of an alleyway with a gun pointed at your head! Well, I mean, that's a pretty normal occurrence for me, so it's not that surprising. No, what's surprising is that the thing holding said gun looks like it came out of fucking _Star Wars_!_

_Oh, right, you probably don't understand what I mean by that, do you? Well, I guess that I should start at the beginning then, shouldn't I?_

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At the moment, we have a view of what looks like a normal city, filled with skyscrapers, large business factories, as well as multiple hotels. In fact, the year is 2015, so the view that we can see _is_ normal. However, it may not seem that way at a later date… _Literally_. Anyways, though this may look like a normal city, it isn't really. Sure, it has its everyday citizens, banks, schools, and the occasional (_Read_: _A shit ton_) fast food joint(s), but what separates this city from the many others spanning across the US of A, is a single person. That person was currently sleeping peacefully, only to suddenly be jarred away by the pain that suddenly appears in his head.

"_~Auugghhh!~_ What the flying _fuck_?! Who the hell-" Unfortunately, this person is suddenly cut off by the feeling of cold metal being pressed against the side of their head.

"Shut the fuck up you little runt." A voice hisses next to their ear. "I'm only gonna say this once, so listen well. You're going to go ahead and give me all the valuables you have on you, and then you're going to fucking walk away like nothing happened. If I see so much as _one_ cop look at me funny after this, then I will find you, and I will kill you." The voice hisses out. However, the person with the gun pressed to their head simply sighs at this, as if it were a daily occurrence for them…

Which it was.

"Look man, I don't got _shit_, alright? The most I have are the clothes on my back. Otherwise, why the hell do you think that I'd be lying in the middle of an alleyway?" The person asks the thief. Said thief pauses for a moment to think over what the person said. However, that moment is all the person needs. Before the thief can even register what's happening, the person's hit aside the gun with their left hand, grabbing onto it in the process, as they ball their right hand into a fist, and send an uppercut straight to the thief's chin. As the thief refocuses on his surroundings after falling to the ground, he only has enough time to see the person from before swinging the gun in an arc, before he feels it connect with the side of his head, and all he sees is black.

The person who had the gun in their hand at the moment glances between said fire arm, and the thief a few times, before he scoffs, tosses the gun into a nearby trashcan, _after_ emptying the clip, and walks away. "Fucking fifth time this week… And the week only _started_ two days ago… I _re~~~ally_ hate my life…" The person mutters, before they walk out of the alleyway and into the light that's hitting the street and sidewalk that he steps onto. When they're no longer shrouded in the darkness of the alleyway, it's easier to see just what this person looks like.

The person is a male teen, who's 17 years old. He has Caucasian skin with a slight tan to show that he spends a considerable amount of time outside, and cobalt eyes that are hardened by the life that he's been forced to live, but they still have a small spark of life left in them. He's currently wearing a white T-shirt that's more than a little dirty, and blue jeans which have obviously seen better days, and are held up by a black belt. The black shoes that he's wearing are also worn down, but considering how his life is, it's pretty good for him. This teenager is Michael, though he prefers Mike. He's just your average run-of-the-mil street rat living in yet another well-known city, that's incorrectly assumed to be great for everyone living there. He glances over his shoulder once more at the knocked out thief lying in the middle of the alleyway, before shaking his head and walking off down the street.

_Most likely, this'll be like every other day. Wake up with a gun to my head, knock out the person threatening me, walk around the city for a little while in order to hear any rumors that might be circulating around, find some food to eat, some water or, if I'm lucky, soda, and then find a different spot to sleep the night so that I'm not easily found by the same thief twice. Rinse and repeat._ Mike thinks to himself as he walks down the street, most of the citizens walking around either not sparing him a glance, or too engrossed in their phones to bother. Mike rolls his eyes at this. _As much as I want to condone them for it… I feel like I'd be the same way._ He admits to himself, understanding the "drug" that is technology.

However, despite what he may think, that day would be anything but ordinary for him, and instead would be the beginning of a long journey. And that would start… Now.

_I mean, everyone's always looking at their screens, and with good reasons since that's the best way nowadays to communicate between each other. Not to mention- Wait a minute… What the _fuck_ is that?_ He wonders, raising an eyebrow as he looks up from staring at the sidewalk and turns to look on his right as he walks by a window. One which had multiple colored lights streaming out of it. He stops walking, looks to around the general area, and notices that other people have seen the anomaly. Most of them are taking out their phones and starting to either take pictures or videos, and Mike honestly can't blame them since that's the best way for people who aren't there to know about it, just like he'd said not even a minute ago. Then again, with the lights getting brighter and brighter, it might not be the best idea to stand right next to it.

Unfortunately, before Mike has a chance to back away from the strange sight, the lights suddenly dim slightly, making everyone else in the area puts as much distance between the window and themselves as possible, besides Mike who leans in closer towards the window, squinting his eyes against the bright lights… Not exactly the best time for human curiosity to kick in since the glass explodes outwards not seconds later, and the last thing that Mike can see is the rush of flames from an explosions, the lights that used to be streaming out of the intact glass window, and then the only thing he can see is black as darkness clouds his vision..

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Mike groans as he feels cool metal being pressed up against his head, and a voice start talking from about a foot away. "If you don't want to die _human_, then you will give me all the credits that you have." A voice tells Jack with what sounds like an accent. Though, not any accent that he'd heard before.

"Ugh, what the fuck is up with people and trying to rob me today? I mean, _seriously_. Does it _not_ occur to anyone that a guy who's sleeping in an alleyway _doesn't_ have any money?" He asks rhetorically, his vision slightly distorted as he attempts to push himself into a sitting position. _Ugh, what the _fuck_ happened? I remember lights… And then, fire. I remember fire heading towards me with the lights. After that, nothing… God _damn it_ this headache is killing me!_ Mike thinks to himself as he groans in slight pain, raising his hand to his forehead in a futile effort to quell the pain that was settling in as he manages to push himself into an upright position.

"I will only say this once more human. Give me your belongings… _Or else_." The voice with the accent threatens again, making Mike finally decide to look up at the bastard that's making his headache worse than it already is.

"Alright, listen up you-" Whatever insult or sarcastic response Mike was going to come up with dies in his throat the moment he sees the thief. Because contrary to what he thought a minute beforehand, the _thing_ standing there is most definitely _not_ human. It's face… Mike couldn't even find a way to describe it. But the thing was definitely wearing some type of armor or something similar. And what's worse? It was aiming a gun to his head. _God damn it! That's the second time within 24 hours!_ Mike's subconscious thinks, before he realizes the situation he was in. Now, _normal_ humans would, at this point, freak out, point at the thing standing in front of them, and shout out something along the lines of "What the _fuck_ are you?!" However, after living on the streets for a good portion of his life, Jack had learned to adapt to situations as they came.

"Whoa buddy! Hey, I already told you I don't have anything!" He cries out, scrambling back towards the wall of the new alleyway he'd woken up in, in an attempt to seem like less of a threat to the thief. It worked fairly well, just… Not in the way that Mike was hoping.

"Nothing? Well then, you're of no use to me. After all, the less of your kind that exist… The better." The thing comments with a flat voice, leveling the gun on Jack's head, and making the teen's eyes widen as he realizes that he was about to be shot. When that registers in his brain, Mike does the only thing he could think of…

He tackles the motherfucker.

"_~Oof!~_" Mike idly hears the sound of the thing losing its breath as he tackles it to the ground, before he desperately tries to wrestle the gun from the thing's grip. Funny what the human body is capable of when it realizes that it's going to die. After a minute of struggling, with Mike gaining _a lot_ of cuts and bruises from his attacker, he manages to get the gun from the thing, and pistol whip it across the face. Unfortunately, it doesn't work as well as it did on the previous thief, as the thing just seems to attempt to shake off the hit. When Mike realizes this, he immediately hits the thing across the head again, and again, and again, until the thing finally lets out a groan of pain, and lays limp on the ground. At this point, Mike is panting heavily from the effort he'd exerted while attacking his… _attacker_.

_What… What the flying _fuck_ just happened?!_ He yells in his mind as he stands up and stares down at whatever the thing was that's lying on the ground in front of him. _This… This thing just tried to kill me! But… But why? I mean, as far as I can tell, It's not like I'm one of the most wanted. Hell, I'm not even most wanted by any chicks._ He dryly chuckle at his own joke. _Ah sarcasm, my favorite coping mechanism..._ _But still, just what the fuck _is_ this thing?_ After staring down at the body for a few more seconds, Mike looks between the body and the gun he'd taken, before shaking his head. "Well, I've learned my lesson." He mutters, holding the gun so that his finger is resting on the trigger…

Before tucking it between his pants and the belt keeping them up, and making sure that his shirt is covering the fire arm. Then he turns around, and takes a peek out of the alleyway in case the motherfucker had friends waiting. What he sees…

"Well this is… Interesting." Mike comments dryly, looking at the large crowd of _things_ that are currently walking along the streets, some talking on wrist gauntlets that look suspiciously like they were holograms. "Toto, I don't think we're in Kansas anymore." He comments with a deadpan look, apparently finally accepting what's happening. _More like mother fucking _Star Wars_ or _Star Trek_._ He thinks. Mike continues to look around for a few minutes, and sees that there are actually _humans_ mixed in the crowd of things as well. He takes a minute to let this sink in, before letting off a sigh. "Well, when in Rome…" Mike trails off, before stepping out onto the sidewalk, and following the crowd. Not having a set destination in mind, and having one thought in his mind as he attempts to accept what was happening to him.

_There better be something akin to a Lightsaber here, or I'm gonna be _pissed!

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**Author's Note Part 2: Alright guys, like stated above, I'm sorry for starting yet ****_another_**** story. But, I started reading ME stories, and they made me want to write my own. Now, for those of you who are asking why there are (at least 2) chapters out at once, that's because I wrote this chapter, went to bed, and then the next day got up and started to write the second chapter with actual game stuff involved. Yes people, the second chapter will have the actual start of the plot, as well as a little overview of what happened during the [Censored] years between now and then. But, that's it for this chapter. Thanks for taking the time out of your day to read this, and I hope to see you all next time!**

**(I also hope to ****_live_**** until next time, and not come under fire from the pissed off people who have noticed this new story, and are currently cursing my existence for making my work harder, and lengthening the time between updates for the stories that they like to read… Sorry? No, sorry isn't good enough? Huh… *Runs for the hills*)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: First Impressions Are Everything**

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**Author's Note Part 1: Well guys, here you go. The first actual "chapter" that isn't just a small prologue for the main character. Instead, we get a small overview of what has occurred for Mike between the time he arrived, and now. We also see his first encounter with the (soon to be) ****_Normandy_**** crew. Yay!**

**That aside, I'd like to thank all of you who have read and enjoyed the story so far. It means a lot to me when people like my work, as it pushes me to continue writing, and hopefully get out my own original story at some point in my life. So, for all of you who are supporting my fanfictions, you're allowing me to take the steps towards becoming an actual author, and starting my career, so thank you all!**

**(Note: As in most of my other stories, I will only have a single OC, Mike. This is due to the fact that I find it hard enough as it is to write out the canon character's personalities, and I don't need to add more that would just mess me up. Also, I like it when there's only one OC, since that makes it so that the story doesn't deviate ****_too much _****from canon.)**

**Now, that's about all I have to say before the chapter, since the second Author's Note will be an overview of the chapter, and possible insight for the future chapters to come. But for now, I'll just let you get to the chapter itself. So here you go!**

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_Hey! Welcome back! Of course you're still interested in this, I mean, it's about me!... No, that's not why? Damn. Ah well, worth a shot. Anyways, I guess you probably want to get on and read the riveting tale about what happened after I woke up in some pseudo-Star Wars place with a gun aimed at my head, right? Yes? Finally you're interested in my life! *Ehem* Anyways, I guess I should give you a brief overview. After all, it's been a few years since I showed up… Alright, more than "a few". In truth, it's been around twelve. Heh, same number of years I spent on the street before I showed up here. So yeah, I'm now 29. And here I was thinking that I wouldn't make it to my early twenties with how I was living before._

_However, after going through time a space, _literally_, I ended up with quite the life. As it turns out, I wasn't that far off when I was talking about showing up somewhere akin to Star Wars. Instead, I was just shot light-years away from earth, as well as a good 156 years into the future due to the accident… Yeah, now _that_ was a surprise. Turns out that around 23 years before I arrived, humans discovered ways to travel to different planets via artifacts found on mars. Heh, and people were giving NASA shit during "my time"._

_Anywho, humanity figured out space travel, after accidentally figuring out time travel which resulted in me arriving in the future, they met new species, war immediately breaks out, First Contact war, said war eventually ends, peace made between species but hatred continues, you know, the usual when it comes to humanity and conflicts. Yeah, you can imagine the reactions that were going through my brain, almost every one of them including the word "fuck" somewhere in every sentence. But, I'm sure you could expect that from practically anyone who was in my position. Oh, and if that wasn't enough, I also found out that I could pretty much use The Force… Or, well, "Biotics" as they're actually called. But it's practically The Force with extra benefits involved! Not to mention that I apparently have another extra benefit that other Biotics don't have… Yeah, I'm just gonna blame it on the whole "Time and space travel" thing._

_So yeah, after I learned all that, it was back to my same old life… The only difference being the fact that it was _a lot_ harder to dodge C-Sec (Citadel Security) than it was to dodge the police in the past. And the fact that they had all kinds of new technology that I didn't know jack-shit about didn't help me either. But, I managed. Oh, did I manage. I also managed to learn about the different terrorist groups that ransacked the galaxy, all kinds of new laws that had to be taken into account due to the introduction of new species, and other things that made my life on the streets both easier, as well as harder._

_But after a while of living like I usually did, I ended up changing. Don't ask me how or why, because the only response that I could possibly give you is that it probably had something to do with that time traveling trip I took from the 21st to the 22nd century, which like I said before, I believe changed quite a few things about me including the Biotics. You see, one day I saw a few thugs corner and attempt to rob a quarian in an alleyway. At the sight, something inside me snapped. One minute, I'm walking by the alley and see the confrontation out of the corner of my eyes, and the next minute, I'm standing above the three beaten down thugs, all of whom are on the ground groaning in pain, or knocked out._

_The quarian was scared at the sight of a seventeen year old beating down three men that were in their late twenties to say the least. Took me the better part of an hour to calm her down. After that, I made sure to tie the three thugs up, and sent the quarian off to gather C-Sec. Needless to say, I booked it once they were tied up and the quarian was out of sight. The last thing I needed was to go in for questioning, and then have them attempt to gather information on me. Yeah, I'm sure _that_ would have gone down well. "Oh yeah officer, see, I got thrown over a hundred years into the future, and just woke up a couple days ago with no knowledge of anything going on at the moment. Isn't that great?" I'm almost _certain_ I'd be thrown into the loony bin if that happened. Actually, not "almost". I _am_ certain that I would have been shipped off to the nearest insane asylum._

_However, shortly thereafter I managed to acquire myself an Omni-tool. And by acquire, I mean that I looted it off a mugger that tried to kill me. Imagine a future version of a med-kit, cell phone, tool box, and a few other random tidbits all mashed together in something that looks like a hologram of a gauntlet, and you've got yourself an Omni-tool. I spent the better part of a week and a half figuring the entire thing out, especially since I couldn't very well walk up to someone and ask them to help me in case that raised suspicions. But, one of the few things that I did find on the Omni-tool was the "Omni-blade". Basically, the Omni-tool creates a blade out of an excess of stuff that I'm not going to go into, that's practically disposable in thin air so that you won't risk stabbing yourself or someone around you accidentally with one wrong move._

_At the time, I didn't think much of it. Then, I ended up needing to use it during a run in with the Blue Suns, one of those terrorist groups I was talking about. Needless to say, when all was said and done, I could be found just outside a cardboard box I called home for the day in a random alleyway, throwing up the little food that I'd had earlier that day, before passing out. My dreams filled with the blood of the terrorists I'd been forced to kill in order to survive. These dreams went on for a few months, before I had to do it again when I was cornered. After that, I had to learn fast that in this future, it was "kill or be killed". Not something necessarily _new_ to me, but I still had my ideals from over a century back in time about how killing was immoral and utterly wrong._

_Unfortunately, or fortunately depending on how you look at it, those ideals didn't last long, and after a time, I went on from self-defense, to attacking terrorist members when they were alone, and then taking down groups. Don't get me wrong, I still had my morals with me, they just started to fall ever since the first kill. I gained them back a few years later, but by that time, I'd already racked up quite the body count… Not necessarily something I'm proud of, but I don't really regret my actions either. Who knows what might have happened to any one of the citizens in the Citadel had I not done those things._

_After a time, my work started to be noticed. At that point, I was already 25, and had changed how I went about things slightly thanks to some… _Interesting _discoveries in means of weapons. But, I'll get to that later. See, C-Sec would usually have wanted posters in a stand outside their main building, set up so that people could see who to look out for, and report if they saw them. Well, let's just say that there was always at least one officer sitting by, and I had my ways of letting them know who would be showing up on their doorstep next without revealing myself. And as shown by the number of gang members present in C-Sec holding cells, and terrorists sent to higher level security prisons, my work was well known in the force. There's also the fact that sometimes they hung up datapads that had information on an illegal situation that they can't do anything about because of red tape. Needless to say, I help out with these problems as well._

_Heck, if there was one guy at C-Sec that I liked, it had to be the detective Turian named Garrus. Now, I didn't exactly have a very good first meeting with Turians due to the rude awakening I got from the one that tried to rob me when I first arrived on the Citadel, but Garrus? Man, that Turian has the system down. He knows about how skewered it is, and I see Garrus scowl any time a fellow officer of his mentions anything even slightly racist (or is it speciest? I'm not entirely sure) towards a suspect for a case they had. I'd had the pleasure of "talking" to the Turian once or twice to let him know about possible threats to the Citadel so that he would be able to take care of them within the force, and not take all the credit for myself. Usually, it involved talking to him via my Omni-tool, making sure that they wouldn't be able to track me, and that my voice was distorted. Hey, when you're a street rat growing up in the "future", then you've gotta know how to hack. Heck, I've learned enough about the Omni-tool, that I can re-create some of the effects of the iPhone from "Watchdogs"._

_But enough about how my life has been going for the last 12 years. See, now I'm at the age of 29, and there's currently a situation taking place that's a _little_ too familiar for my likings. One quarian surrounded by three thugs. Well these aren't very fair odds now are they?..._

_For them at least._

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**Mike's POV:**

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_Let's see… Enclosed alleyway, a single female quarian, a group of thugs… Well, _this_ doesn't scream déjà-vu at all… _Noooo_, of _course_ it doesn't._ I think to myself while rolling my eyes. Currently, I'm crouched in the corner of the area that the quarian is meeting with the thugs for a deal that they apparently made. However, things seem to be going wrong quite quickly, what with the Turian trying to "sweet talk" her, and the other two having fire arms at their sides. Then, things start to go wrong. When the quarian announces that the deal's off, the Turian sends a glance to the other two, and they ready their pistols. At this point, I can see three people making their way over, one of which I recognize. However, I don't have time for that as I stand up, and deactivate my cloak. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that's why they didn't see me, didn't I? And I didn't tell you what my outfit looks like either! Guess I should do that now then shouldn't I? After all, even though this will take a minute to read, it will only be like a second to me… Yea, fourth wall breaking into another universe for the win…

We'll start from the bottom, and make our way to the top. For footwear, I have black combat boots that I've messed around with. I added Kevlar armor to in order to strengthen it, as well as magnetic plates so that I can walk on metal. Yes, that includes walls and the ceiling. I'd made sure to tamper with the materials as well, so that I can move around silently. As for my pants, I have black jeans, which I've also added Kevlar to, and are held up by a black, leather belt. For a shirt, I have a grey T-shirt, again, with Kevlar added. Over the T-shirt, I have a black trench coat that reaches down to my mid-calf area, and has a hood added that I can throw over my head, which is its current position so that no one can see what I look like. Guess what? This _also_ has Kevlar added! Shocking, right? Another thing that I've added to the coat is a cloaking feature, which allows my entire body to be cloaked from sight thanks to a mechanism that I'd added. Unfortunately, this neither makes me intangible, nor can I stretch the ability to work on anyone that I touch. But that aside, I also have black fingerless gloves, I don't think I need to tell you what's added, as well as a mask-like bandana that's not unlike the one present in Watch Dogs, but distorts my voice so that no one can hear my actual voice when I talk **(1)**. Hey, if I have the ability to do what he does in the games because of my Omni-tool, why not have a little tribute to the man? But, now that my own description is out of the way, let's get back to the conflict shall we?

"Now, now you three, that's no way to treat a lady now is it?" I ask them rhetorically, making the three turn in my direction, only for one of the thugs wearing armor, whom I believe to be a Salarian, to get a shot right to their helmet, and go down to the ground hard. Now, remember that weaponry I was talking about earlier? Yeah, this pistol of mine happens to be one of them. You see, here in the "future", they use things called "Heat Sinks", which basically makes it so that you have unlimited ammo, as long as you don't overheat the "clip". Now, while that's awesome, there are drawbacks. Such as the fact that kinetic shields were created in order to protect whoever is being shot at. But, these shields only work on the "bullets" that are created by the Heat Sinks. But the shields _don't work_ on "regular" guns. AKA, the kind that use regular bullets in place of the rounds created by the Heat Sinks in the new guns.

The one that I use might be familiar. It's called the M6C Handgun. For those of you who play Halo, yes, it's the one that Rookie uses in the beginning of "Halo: ODST". Now, as for how I got this weapon, it's thanks to a late friend of mine, who made some of the kinds of weapons found in Halo, simply as a hobby of his, since he didn't feel like being pulled into all that military and political bullshit of making guns for the Alliance or only for the Citadel. However, he ended up getting targeted by the Blue Suns when they found out just what he was doing, and wanted the weapons for themselves. He ended up deciding to rig his house with explosives, and when they barged in on him sitting at his desk with a content smile on his face, the detonator in his hand, he pressed the button. But, he made sure to leave me some nice parting gifts, including the pistol, and a few other things. But, I'll tell you about that after I'm done taking care of the last two.

The bullet that I shoot out of the M6C easily bypasses the shield that the thug has, and shoots through the visor, embedding itself in the thug's brain, and killing them immediately as they fall to the ground. The other mask wearing thug is shocked at the sight of their partner easily being shot down, and I take the time to put a bullet in their head as well, before I finally turn to the Turian, who's broken out of his own shock, and pulled out a pistol to use. I quickly dodge roll to the side behind a crate, just in time for a round to pierce the area that I'd been. When this happens, I quickly stand back up, outstretch my arm with the pistol in my grip, and give a large grin beneath my bandana-mask. "Sayonara mother fucker." I say, before putting a round between his eyes. Once that's done, I put the pistol back in its holster, and use one hand to vault myself over the crate and stand in front of the quarian, as well as the three new arrivals.

The first is a Turian. But not just any Turian, oh-no, this Turian happens to be Garrus. Standing next to him is a human wearing red combat armor, and who has black hair colored not unlike my own. Though, his hairstyle is definitely different. This is Kaidan Alenko, a member of the Alliance. As for the third, well, I'm pretty sure that anybody would be able to tell who Commander Shepard is just by seeing her. After all, the bright green eyes, Caucasian skin, vibrant red hair that goes down to her shoulder blades, as well as her hourglass figure that's partially visible even with her armor on is enough of a giveaway. Now, Garrus might be C-Sec, and Kaidan and Shepard may be a part of the alliance, but we all know that I'm pretty much a vigilante. This means that their positions don't really matter to me. So, instead of treating them like they're the next big thing, I treat them like I treat everyone else that isn't on the smoking end of my handgun. "Yo." I greet with a mock salute as I lower my bandana-mask and lean against the crate that I'd vaulted over. However, before anyone can say anything in response to my casual greeting, the quarian from before speaks up.

"Fist set me up! I _knew_ I couldn't trust him!" She exclaims in anger. At that moment, Shepard takes it upon herself to make sure that the victim is okay before she talks to me. I opt to just stand there, and see if I should comment during the exchange, while Garrus sends occasional glances my way. Not surprising, since he's obviously thinking about if I'm… Well, _me_… You know what I mean.

"Don't worry about Fist. He got what was coming to him." Shepard tells her, making me raise my eyebrow and glance at my Omni-tool.

_Huh, well he's still moving around town. But it looks like he's heading towards the docking area. Guess he needs to get out of the Citadel._ I think to myself as I focus back on the conversation.

"Then I guess there are two things I need to thank you for. Who are you?" The quarian asks Shepard, making me raise my eyebrow once again.

_Either she's been living under a rock for the past few years, or she pays no attention to anything that goes on around her… Then again, if she's on her pilgrimage, I guess that would make sense since she might have been focused on that…_ I think, before shaking my head to clear it so that I can keep up with the two talking.

"My name's Shepard. I'm looking for evidence to prove Saren's a traitor." She tells the quarian, making me raise my eyebrow for the third time in under a minute as she mentions the bastard Turian.

"Then I have a chance to repay you for saving my life." The quarian tells Shepard. "But not here. We need to go somewhere safe." She continues. At this point, I raise my hand.

"I have an idea of where we could take this." I offer, finally bringing attention to me.

"And who are you?" Kaidan asks with skepticism clear in his voice, making me smirk.

"Why don't you ask Garrus over there?" I ask, nodding towards the Turian in question.

"So it is you… The Shadow of the Citadel." He comments. I just scoff and shake my head.

"Please, I prefer just "Shade". After all, "The Shadow of the Citadel" just makes it harder for people to say my "name", and Shade means the same thing as Shadow." I tell them with a shrug, making Shepard raise one of her eyebrows.

"Shade? I remember hearing about you. Apparently you're able to hack into any part of the Citadel, and yet you use that ability to help people." She says with slight skepticism in her voice, making me nod to her.

"Yeah. I mean, living off the street for a good 24 years can do that to you. You see all the bad shit that happens without public knowledge and one of three things happen to you." I say, before holding up my right hand and putting up a finger with each option I tell them. "You either join with the bad crowd and become a part of the problem, which is what happens to most. Or you can choose to ignore it and try to continue living your street rat life, knowing that you could be the next one that's being attacked. And then there are the few like me, who work to try and stop what's happening." I tell them, before I lower my hand and push myself off the crate and walk over to stand in the small group that they'd made. As I do so, I notice how both humans from the alliance subtly keep their hands near their weapons in case they need to use them, while Garrus seems to be debating with himself about whether he should do the same, and the Quarian does nothing, probably thinking about how I just saved her. I give a nod to the three that have their hands near their weapons at that. "Smart. You still don't know me that well, so you're ready just in case." I tell them, making their eyes widen slightly.

"How'd you know that?" Kaidan asks me with shock clear in his voice, making me turn to him a smirk.

"As I said, I've lived on the streets for 24 years. When that happens, you also learn how to take in every little detail around you. That… And it helps to have control over every camera in the Citadel." I tell him, lifting up my Omni-tool and typing a few commands in, which makes the few cameras stationed in the area start moving up and down as if waving to the four others, making everyone present look at them.

"So _that's_ how you know about everything that's going on." Garrus comments with understanding in his tone. Which isn't that it's easy to pick up on, what with the "accents" that Turians have.

"Yup, although, I'm able to do more than just that… As you've seen during your occasional high speed chase." I tell him with a smirk, waiting a few seconds before his eyes widen when he understands what I'm saying.

"Every time there was a chase, the street lights would always change to green in the direction we would be chasing the crook… That was you!" He exclaims, pointing at me with one of his clawed fingers as if accusing me… Which in a way he was, and he was right. The smirk present on my face grows wider, and I nod.

"That's right. After all, the last thing that we need is for the crook to run a red light, and cause civilian casualties. But, I think that we should get back to what I first discussed. That being the safe area for… I'm sorry, but I'm not quite sure that I got your name." I apologize to the quarian.

"Oh, sorry. My name is Tali'Zorah nar Rayya." She introduces herself, making me nod my head as I commit that to memory. Though, that may be a little hard. Quarian names are always hard to remember completely for me.

"Pleasure to meet you Tali. Anyways, as I was saying, we could probably bring her to the ambassador's. After all, you guys are aiming to take down Saren, and if the cameras I was watching earlier weren't tampered with, more so than I already did, then it didn't work out well the first time." I say, making Shepard and Kaidan look at me in surprise. "What? I already told you I have control over the cameras present on the Citadel." I tell them. "And besides, I want to tag along. After all, you're all aiming to take down Saren, and let's just say that I have my reasons for helping… Those reasons being that I could tell that guy was a bastard the minute he started talking to the council." I tell them. This makes Shepard regard me with a raised eye brow.

"So you want to tag along?" She asks me, making me nod in response, before I get serious.

"If what you've said is true, and yes, the cameras have audio functions, then Saren is responsible for all the lives lost on Eden Prime. Someone like that going around the galaxy with _Spectre_ status… I don't even want to imagine what else he could do. So yes, I want to tag along and help you take down that bastard. After all, if Tali's evidence doesn't work, then I could probably search through the databases in the Citadel and find something that does in order to prove him guilty." I tell her with conviction in my voice. She continues to regard me for a few seconds with a calculating stare, one that I return with a look of determination, before a smile makes its way onto her face and she outstretches her hand to me.

"Welcome aboard Shade." She greets, making me smile as I take her hand and shake it.

"Glad to be here." I say before we head off to the ambassador's in order to convict Saren for what he did, and have him taken down.

* * *

The ride to the ambassador's office was silent, with the other four sending me occasional glances. Though, I kinda understood. After all, they were in the present of an unknown, who they knew for a _fact_ had weapons on him, and thus they were a little apprehensive. Despite my conviction to help them. Although, I suppose they could also think of that as me being hired by Saren to gain their trust and take them out… But Garrus seemed to be pretty trusting. After all, I'd given him _a lot_ of intel on illegal operations in the past, so he trusted me… As much as a C-Sec officer can trust a vigilante that is. Finally, we make it to the office, and we're met with the human politician that I've learned to hate due to the many vids I'd found on the extranet. Ambassador Udina. And lo-and-behold, the first things to come out of his mouth are spiteful towards Shepard.

"You're not making my life easy Shepard. Firefights in the Wards? An all-out assault on Chora's Den? Do you know how many-" He stops when he sees Tali standing off to the side, not even noticing my presence. "Who's this? A quarian? What are you playing at Shepard?" He asks, a trace of disdain in his voice when he says the word "quarian", which gets me to frown. Though, Shepard's response is something that I'd expect from her.

"Making your day ambassador. She has information linking Saren to the geth." She says, nodding towards Tali when she says this.

"Really? Maybe you should start at the beginning Miss…" He trails off, waiting for Tali to give him her name, and making me silently scoff as he goes from calling her a "quarian" to "Miss" as soon as he finds out she has information that benefits him.

_If humanity ever has the chance of getting a spot on the council, I don't care about my status, I'm _definitely_ choosing anyone but him, or any other Xenophobic._ I think with an eye roll. _Well, at least the Xenophobes that act like they're a part of Cerberus._ I add, knowing that not all Xenophobes are bad, and that some are just uneasy after only 35-ish years of first being introduced to them. But, I'd zoned out during the conversation. Luckily, it was just Shepard asking about the quarian pilgrimage, which I knew of thanks to Omnipedia** (2)**. So, as I re-focus on the conversation, it gets back to Saren. And it's a way to convict Saren of his crimes.

_"__Eden Prime was a major victory. The beacon has brought us one step closer to finding the Conduit."_ Saren's recorded voice comes from Tali's Omni-tool.

"That's Saren's voice! This _proves_ he was involved in the attack!" Anderson exclaims, myself knowing him just like I know everyone else… Hacking into the systems and not leaving a trace behind.

"He said Eden Prime brought us one step closer to finding the Conduit. Any idea what that means?" She asks those gathered around. I think about it, but even _I_ hadn't found anything that related to that… Though no doubt the Shadow Broker knows. After all, he knows _everything_. And when I say everything, I mean he knows about _me_.

"The Conduit must have something to do with the beacon. Maybe it's some kind of Prothean technology… Like a weapon." He suggests, making everyone there pause to think, before Tali speaks up.

"Wait. There's more. Saren wasn't working alone." She says, before letting the recording play again, but continuing past Saren's part.

_"__And one step closer to the return of the Reapers."_ Another, female, voice says after Saren finishes talking. I raise my hand at that.

"Anyone else wondering who the hell that is? I mean, I may watch and listen to the cameras around the Citadel when it comes to shady meetings in alleyways, but I have enough sense of privacy not to go listening in on anyone and everyone." I say, finally bringing Udina's attention to me… Much to my displeasure.

"And just who are you?" He asks, making me narrow my eyes since he isn't able to see my frown directed at him thanks to my bandana-mask.

"Oh, no one much… You can just call me Shade." I tell him, making his eyebrow raise with skepticism, before he turns to Shepard once again, thus missing Garrus' smirk that's directed at me, to which I reply with a shrug. Hey, no use letting the guy know who I am. If that happened, chances were one of two things would happen. Either he would put me under arrest for being a vigilante, or he would try to get me to join the Alliance because of my hacking skills.

"Right… Anyways, I don't recognize that other voice. The one talking about the Reapers." He says, getting Shepard to speak up.

"Are they some kind of new alien species?" She asks, making me mentally shake my head, as I know that I probably would have found something pertaining to them in the Citadel's mainframe if that were the case. And I'm proven right a second later, when Tali explains them being over 50,000 years old, who committed mass xenocide against the Protheans, and then "disappeared", according to the geth.

"So… Basically they were a race of machines that existed since the beginning of time, and completely eradicated the Protheans from all planets, before going dormant?" I ask.

"Precisely." Tali responds, getting a groan from me as I place my head in my hands, and then lift it up slightly to look at everyone.

"Fifty bucks says that we're gonna end up having to deal with them within a few years if that's the case. God, it's gonna be like Godzilla, but with an race that's hell-bent on destroying life." I mutter.

"I'll take that bet." Garrus says, making me look up at him with narrowed eyes.

"Great, I was kinda hoping no one would, because then we'd have a chance at _not_ having to do this, but now… Well, we're screwed." I say, making Garrus give the Turian equivalent of a frown. "What? My luck is the best. Literally, I've never lost a game of anything. _Once_. Meaning that because you're going to lose, we're gonna have to face them." I tell him, which is actually the truth. I'd never lost a game or bet in my life, which meant that there was a high chance of us facing this genocidal race. The others look at me with sceptic faces. "What? You guys want to take the bet as well and see if you're wrong?" I ask. Only to wish that I hadn't a second later.

"Sure." Kaidan responds.

"Why Not?" Shepard asks with her own smirk.

"If only to shut you up." Udina says, making my anger for him raise.

"I'm good." Anderson says, making me raise my hands.

"At least one of you has faith!" I exclaim, only to be shot down a minute later.

"No, I just don't bet on these kinds of things." Anderson says with a smirk, making me drop my arms and look at the ground.

"I just can't win…" I mutter, getting chuckles from those gathered, besides Udina, before we focus back on the matter at hand.

"The vision on Eden Prime, I understand it now. I saw the Protheans getting wiped out by the Reapers." Shepard says, making me look at her with a raised eyebrow.

_Vision huh? Great, I'm in the future, we just heard about a genocidal race of machines, Shepard here is getting visions, and we have aliens helping us. This all sounds like something someone would cook up for a movie, book or video game._ I think to myself with a frown as Tali goes on to describe the Reapers a bit more.

"The Council is just going to _love_ this." Udina says, making me gasp.

"You used _sarcasm_!" I exclaim, bringing attention back to me. "Everyone run, Hell must be freezing over!" I exclaim, making everyone present attempt to stifle their chuckles as Udina glares at me, hatred present in his eyes. Well guess what dick wad, the feeling's mutual. When everyone calms down, Shepard speaks up, though with a small smirk present on her face.

"The Reapers are a threat to every species in Citadel space, we have to tell them." She says to Anderson, conviction clear in her tone.

"No matter what they think about the rest of this, those audio files _prove_ Saren's a traitor." He tells her, turning to look at Udina so that he speaks to the ambassador as well.

"The captain's right. We need to present this to the Council right away." He says with crossed arms, before Kaidan speaks up.

"What about her? The quarian?" He asks, making me scowl a bit as he doesn't use Tali's name.

"My _name_ is Tali." She says with a bit of anger.

"Why don't you learn how to use it, LT?" I ask Kaidan with a slight glare, which causes him to flinch slightly, before he fixes his posture. Hey, when living on the streets for 24 years, you learn how to give intimidating glares. And the one that I'd chosen to learn was the one a certain purple mage uses in a TV show from back in the 21st Century. Hey, if a glare can get someone to freeze _completely_ in fear, then Raven's is the one that could do it. "Besides, for one thing, I've seen on the cameras what Tali can do with that shotgun of hers from a few skirmishes she's had in the past." I say, gesturing to the shotgun in question as I put in a good word for her. Shepard seems to think about this, before asking her about her pilgrimage. The response that she gives is one filled with determination, and Shepard lets her one board.

"Thanks. You won't regret this." She says, standing by Shepard before turning to me. "And thank you for standing up for me." She thanks, making me wave it off.

"No problem. Helping people is just what I do." I say with a shrug, though there's a small smirk behind my bandana-mask. After all, the only people I've had thank me were the few that I'd helped get away from a mugging, and Garrus whenever I give him information. Then, Udina and Anderson go off to get things ready with the Council, leaving us to ourselves. When this happens, everyone seems to relax, before Garrus turns to me.

"So Shade, what's with that gun you had earlier? It doesn't seem like any I've seen before." He says, drawing everyone's attention to me. I grin as I take it out, showing everyone what it looks like.

"Well, you might not have, but I would hope that some of the humans here would. It's the M6C Handgun, it's from a popular video game back in the 21st Century. I've also got a few other toys from that game back at my "base", you could say." I tell them, handing the gun to Shepard.

"I don't see a Heat Sink." She says, looking it over and holding it as if she were about to shoot it. I gently take it back, not wanting to seem like I'm prying it from her grip.

"Yeah, that's because I uses normal bullets for this thing. Well, normal-ish." I say, making everyone turn to look at me with wide eyes.

"What?! But, why would you do that? Heat Sinks make it so that you can't run out of ammunition!" Kaidan argues, bringing my attention to him.

"That's true LT. However, by using "normal" bullets, I don't have to worry about kinetic barriers getting in the way and deflecting them. Therefore, when I'm in close quarters, I can let off a single shot to one of my target's vital points," I press the trigger, myself having taken out the clip, making the gun give off a click. "And kill them easily." I say, sliding the clip back into place, before turning on the safety, and putting the handgun back into my holster. "Although, with these guns, I also don't have to worry about running out of ammo. See, they use some kind of technology to make their own bullets out of the atoms in the air. Don't ask about how or the mechanics behind it. My contact that made these for me tried to explain it, but the best way that I've come up with explaining it is that it uses the same system as that one gun from "Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare" in order to never run out." I tell them with a shrug, getting confused looks, to which I sigh and send them all a clip of the gun that I'm talking about, which makes it so that they understand once they watch it. "I've also told you about the other weapons I have. Some for short range, such as my favorite one, some for long range, and some for medium range. So, no matter where I am, I don't really have to worry about kinetic barriers getting in the way of my shots, and thus wasting ammo trying to take them out to get a clear shot at my target." I tell them, looking down at my waist when I talk about my favorite weapon to use. Though, during this time frame, it would probably be seen as impractical.

"That's… Effective." Garrus compliments with the Turian equivalent of a smile. I just shrug my shoulders.

"Hey, when you're a street rat vigilante like me, you can't waist a lot of time worrying about taking out extra protection on the person aiming a gun at your head." I tell him, getting a nod in response.

"Well, while this is all well and good, I think we should spend the time that we've been given on more trivial matters." Shepard says, looking at Kaidan and Garrus as if they should know what she's talking about. And they apparently do, because they straighten up a bit.

"Yes ma'am." Kaidan says with a salute, while Garrus gives a nod.

"Well, I guess that I'll see you around the Citadel then." I say, before sending something to Shepard's, Tali's, and Garrus' Omni-tools, causing them to let off beeps and drawing their attention. "That's my contact information. Just let me know if you need anything when you're around, or if anything else comes up on Saren, and I'll see what I can do for you guys." I say, heading towards the door. "For now, I'm gonna go back to watching over the Citadel. See ya." I tell them, before free running up the side of the building, and then making my way across the roofs back "home".

* * *

When I get back home, I shrug off my coat, and collapse into my sofa. My "home" was a single bedroom and living area apartment that I was renting out. But, as I sit there, I think about what just happened. _So let's go over the facts. For one thing, we now have evidence that Saren is a traitor, and thus the Council will want him brought in. Two, Shepard collected quite a group for this, what with her running into a krogan, and there being one Ashley Williams that she was with before. Three, there's the fact of these Reapers that were brought up and seem like a genocidal race that's just lying dormant. And finally, humanity has been pressing for a Spectre for some time now, which I might add, Shepard's name was put forwards to be made one… Yeah, she's gonna be sent after the guy so that the Council doesn't have to send a giant fleet because of political bullshit, and the Alliance gets their Spectre… And I'm probably gonna get roped into it because I met Shepard, and want to bring the bastard in. I'm never gonna have a peaceful life._ I think to myself with a sigh, before standing up, and making my way into my bedroom to grab my other weapons.

"Though, I guess that I wouldn't mind being around Shepard some more. After all, with her slight Irish accent, and that bombshell body of hers…" I think with a smirk, before shaking my head. "Mind out of the gutter Mike! First off, she's _way_ out of your league. Secondly, get to _know her first_. Yeash, mom taught us better than that before we were left on our own." I chide myself, making sure that I would actually get to _know_ the real Shepard before I even _thought_ of asking her out or anything, if she didn't see me as the street rat trash that I am that is.

Sure enough, once I'm done packing all my weapons up, along with some extras for my outfit, as well as some casual clothes, my Omni-tool goes off, and I look at it to see a message from Shepard.

_Shade,_

_If you can, meet me and my team by the _Normandy_, no doubt you already know where it is. We're going after Saren, and I could use as much help as I can get. Oh, and make sure to bring those other weapons you were talking about, I want to see what they can do._

_Sincerely,_

_Spectre Jane Shepard_

I smirk slightly, before zipping my final bag closed, picking it up, slinging it over my shoulder, and making my way out the door, making sure to leave a sizable amount of credits for the owner as I leave, along with the digital code that he'd given me, before I walk out into the sunlight, the smirk changing into a smile. "I love it when I'm right." I say to myself, before taking off into the alleyway next to the house, and free running in the direction of the Normandy. After all, I don't want to keep the first human Specter waiting.

* * *

**(1): Whenever I think of a distorted voice, I think about the one that Red X has from the Teen Titans TV show. And I mean the ****_good one_****. Not the one that's out now which is basically just random shit that the Titans do every episode. I mean the good one from the early 2000's.**

**(2): This wasn't my idea. I read it in the story, "Mass Reality", and thought that it was an awesome idea. Granted, in my story, it's nothing special, nor is it made by "D". Instead, it's just the universes version of Wikipedia. So obviously, not ****_everything_**** will be one it. Nor will everything on it be 100% correct.**

**Author's Note Part 2: Well guys, here's the second chapter, out at the same time the first one was put up. Now, as you can see, I've put in a few things, as well as changed a few things. So, I guess that I should address these. First, I've given Mike some of the guns from Halo. Why you may ask? Because I like the idea of him using actual bullets instead of Heat Sinks for the reasons mentioned above. The reason that I'm not making this a crossover is because it's stated that these were based off the game, thus the game does not actually ****_affect_**** the world, as well as the fact that all I'm putting in here are the guns.**

**Another thing, I've changed Shepard slightly. See, when watching the Mass Effect playthrough that I'm using for this, Jennifer Hale just doesn't seem like the right voice for some of the conversations that happen, as well as some of the things that I have planned for this fanfiction. So, I've given Shepard an Irish accent. Also, I've changed Shepard's appearance slightly. Why you may ask? Don't question it, it my answer.**

**Now, as for the playthrough. I give credit where credit is due, and I'd like to thank ****Captain John Archer Shepard****, since it's their Fem Shepard playthrough that I'm watching for this. So, if you want to see what's in store, then you can go ahead and watch their videos. However, know that there ****_will_**** be changes made to the playthrough, since I've implemented my character into this, and it's a fanfiction. Meaning, I don't have to worry about the restrictions the game makes, such as where you can go, as well as how many people can be in your team at a time.**

**(I'd also like to apologize if I've gotten any characters' personalities are wrong. I said this in the first chapter, and I'll say it again. This is my first time actually watching a playthrough. So far, all I've had to go off of are other fanfictions that I've read. So, I apologize if I've gotten anyone wrong, and would like to hear from you guys what the ground team's personalities are like if I ****_did_**** get them wrong.)**

**I think that's about all I have to say for now, so thank you all for taking the time out of your day to read this, and I hope to see you all next time!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: Getting To Know the ****_Normandy _****Ground Team, and Arriving on Edolus**

* * *

**Author's Note Part 1: Well, here's the third chapter. In this one, it's mainly going to take place on the ****_Normandy_****, as the title suggests, with Mike getting acquainted with the other members of the ground team. I'll tell you one thing, I'm looking forwards to writing his meeting with Joker. As for upcoming missions, well, I told you before that I don't know that much, and I'm literally writing out these chapters, with no idea what's going to happen next. You could view it as, Mike is actually there and affecting situations as they play out, instead of me making sure everything goes along with canon 100%.**

**Now, this chapter is a bit small, because as I've said above, it's basically just Mike meeting the other ground team members. So, that's really the only thing that's going to show up in this chapter, as the next one will be the first actual ****_mission_****, and I want it to have its own chapter, instead of putting it in with what could be considered a filler chapter. But, I'm pretty sure you guys just want to get to reading the filler, so that you can get to reading the mission chapter when it comes out. So, without further ado, here's Chapter 3!**

* * *

_Welcome back guys! Now, as you can see, I've gotten off on good footing with my new friends, and it didn't start with us aiming our guns at each other! This happens to be a first for me, so that was nice. Now, I get to go and talk to the red haired bombshell and her other friends, before going off and chasing a rogue Turian Spectre down across the Traverse… This will be _fun_!_

* * *

**Mike's POV:**

* * *

I arrive outside the _Normandy_'s entrance to find Shepard waiting outside with Kaidan, Garrus and Tali. When I land just in front of them, I realize that they're talking about me. "You're running out of time Turian." Kaidan says with a smug smirk, making the Turian in question click his mandibles… At least, I think they're mandibles.

"I'm telling you, he'll be here. Whenever he tells C-Sec about the next "job" he's taking on, it's done within a day! So getting here from wherever his "house" is will be easy." Garrus argues. Kaidan just shakes his head, and looks at his Omni-tool.

"You've got another five minutes, then I'm gonna be fifty credits richer." Kaidan says with a smirk. Shepard is shaking her head, but has a smile on her face none the less. After four and a half minutes, I decide to let myself be known, and deactivate my cloak. The reactions are hilarious. All three jump, and the two Alliance members immediately pull out their handguns, getting a chuckle out of me.

"You know LT, I've been standing here for the past five minutes. And I've got to say, even after hearing about what I could do, you still doubt me? That hurts my reputation." I say with mock hurt, placing my right hand over my heart as the LT stares at me with a slack jaw, Garrus bursts out laughing, and Shepard gives a small smirk as she holsters her gun. "Oh, and it's actually _Garrus_ who's fifty credits richer." I say, making Shepard let off a chuckle of her own as Garrus' laughter gets louder, and Kaidan grumble indistinguishably as he types away at his Omni-tool, making Garrus' let off a beep to let him know the transfer had been made.

"If you three are done, we need to get aboard." Shepard says with the smirk still present on her gorgeous face.

_Shut it Daniels. Get to know her, _and then_ think about how gorgeous she is._ I berate myself, mentally slapping myself into the present and following the three on board the _Normandy_. I have to force myself not to immediately hack into the system to get the layout, already knowing who the current pilot is, and assuming that he wouldn't like that too much. We step into the decontamination chamber, and the VI activates the systems to decontaminate us. Once that's done, and I no longer want to just hack it to shut it up after five minutes, we make our way inside the actual shuttle, and Shepard turns to look at us.

"Alright, you ladies go ahead to your rooms and get comfortable, I'm going to go ahead and check in with the pilot." She tells us, getting a salute from Kaidan, and a nod from Garrus, before the two go walking off.

"Sure thing Shepard. But, any specific place that I should drop off my stuff?" I ask, getting a smirk as she taps away at her Omni-tool, before my own beeps and shows me the schematics of the ship.

"That's the layout of the ship. Here are were the ground team gets to stay, better than the sleeping chambers in my opinion." She says, highlighting a hallway that had actual rooms on either side. "Just chose one for yourself, put your name on the door, and you can drop off your stuff there." She says, getting a nod from me in response.

"Thanks. I'll see you around the ship Shepard." I say with a wave, getting a nod in response before I go walking off. After a few minutes, I arrive at the ground team's hallway, and look at the doors. I can see that some were already chosen, the names "Tali", "Kaidan", "Garrus" and "Wrex" were already visible on the doors, before I reach the end, and find that one of the few left were by the captain's quarters. _The world just _loves_ teasing me about this kind of stuff, doesn't it?_ I ask myself with a mental sigh, before walking into the one closest to Shepard's cabin, across from Kaidan's, and placing my bags on the bed inside. Then, I get to work unpacking my stuff.

As I'm putting my casual clothes in the closet, the intercom opens up, and I look at the speaker present in my room. "This is Commander Shepard speaking. We have our orders: Find Saren before he finds the Conduit. I won't lie to you crew. This mission isn't going to be easy. This began with an attack on a human settlement in the Traverse. But we know Saren won't stop there. His geth armies aren't going to stay on the far fringes of Citadel space. Our enemy knows we're coming. Wherever he searches for the Conduit, we'll be there. We will hunt him to the very ends of the galaxy and bring him down. Humanity _needs_ to do this. Not just for our own sake, but for the sake of every other species in Citadel space. Saren must be stopped, and I promise you all… We will stop him!" As the intercom shuts off, I give a small smile.

"Well said Shepard… Well said." I say, before turning to the weapons bag that I had resting on my bed. "…Guess I should go ahead and get those things ready. I'm not entirely sure when our first mission is gonna be, but I'd rather be ready." I say to myself, before slinging the bag over my shoulder, typing a command into my door, and walking away. A name popping up on the front of the door as I do so.

"Shade"

* * *

I arrive at the cargo hold just as the intercom activates again. "Now leaving the Citadel, make sure to keep your hands and feet inside the _Normandy_ at all times kiddos, don't want the whole thing depressurizing because some stupid member of the crew opened a window. I've got enough health issues as it is." A voice announces, just as the tethers on the side of the ship disengage, and the ship leaves the Citadel. I let out a quiet chuckle as I reach an unmarked locker, inputting my name and sitting down on a bench in front of it. Then, I pull out a few of my weapons to start working on them.

The first I pull out is the MA5C Assault Rifle. Needless to say, I don't need to describe this one since it's the standard rifle that Master Chief uses. I look it over, disassembling it and cleaning it of any grime, making sure to look over every millimeter of the thing for any defects, before reassembling it, and putting it carefully into the locker. I check my M6C Handgun the same way, before holstering it. Then, I take my favorite toy off my waist, look it over for any cracks that may leak the material inside, grime that may affect the way it works, and then place it back on my waist. Once this is done, I take out another weapon, this one the M90 CAWS, a shotgun. I look it over the same way as all the others, before pumping the barrel, and letting a smile show behind my mask. I've always had a thing for pump shotguns, after all, when you're in range and you hear someone pump a shotgun, you're thoughts usually change to "Shit!" in a heartbeat.

When I've gotten all those weapons cleaned, I finally look up and notice that others from the ground team were in the cargo hold with me, looking over their own equipment. Ashley is looking over her assault rifle, Kaidan is looking over his handgun, the krogan, whom I know is a bounty hunter named Wrex, is looking over his own shotgun, and Garrus is cleaning his sniper. I give a small smile, knowing that I'm amongst friends, and decide to go over and get to know them better. I place my bag, which has a few other guns in it, in my locker, and make my way over to Garrus. When I get near him, he puts down his sniper, and gives a small Turian smile.

"Well if it isn't the man who's helped me and C-Sec more times than I can count." He says with a small smile. I just let off a chuckle as I sit across from him on a chair that I pulled over.

"Hey, just doing my own to help out the citizens of the Citadel. After all, red tape is a bitch." I say, getting a laugh out of the former C-Sec officer in front of me.

"Isn't that the truth? Spirits, it got me angry every time we'd have illegal activity, but we couldn't do anything because the people running the thing had contacts within the higher ups." He says, getting me to nod in agreement.

"Yeah, no shit. And nothing against C-Sec, but they definitely could have done better at patrolling the city, what with the number of muggings and rapes that I had to stop." I say, getting a sigh and a nod from Garrus.

"Yeah, I tried to push for that, but Pallin wouldn't listen. He said we were doing as good as we could. Anything that happened that we didn't stop, we couldn't do anything about no matter how hard we tried." He tells me, making me glare at nothing in particular.

"That bastard. He just didn't want to waste any more money on the officers." I growl out, getting a tired sigh and nod from the former C-Sec officer.

"Yeah… But besides that, I'd like to at least know who it is that was helping us. And none of that "Shade" stuff either." Garrus says, getting an actual laugh out of me.

"Well, I suppose it's only fair." I admit, before lowering my hood so that he can see my pitch black hair and cobalt eyes clearly, and then lower my bandana-mask, allowing my American accent to let itself known. "The name's Michael Daniels, though I prefer just Mike." I tell him, holding out my hand to shake, which he takes before raising one of his eyebrows.

"Michael Daniels? I didn't see that name on the Citadel database." He says, making me flinch as I rub the back of my neck sheepishly.

"He-he, well… Funny story actually. And no, it doesn't involve me deleting myself off the servers." I tell him when he opens his mouth to talk. "Let's just say it's a long story, that I'll tell you when everyone's present. That way I don't have to worry about repeating myself." I tell him, getting a reluctant nod from him, before I throw my hood back on, and cover my mouth with my bandana-mask. "Well, I'm gonna go ahead and meet with the other members of the ground team. I look forwards to working with you more in the near future Garrus.

"And you, Mike." He says, using my real name instead of my "nickname". I give a nod to him, before walking off. I'd already met with Kaidan twice now, so that leaves Ashley and Wrex. And from Tali's personality, I'm going to assume… Yup, she's in the engine room. A quick glance at my Omni-tool tells me that much, as I was able to get the position of everyone on the ground team on the ship by following the frequencies of their Omni-tools. Hey, what did I say about my hacking skills? Anyways, I figure that I might as well meet with the krogan first, seeing as he would probably be the toughest to get on a friendly basis with. As I make my way over, I notice that he watches me get closer out of the corner of his eyes, before speaking up as I get within a few yards.

"What do you want Pyjak?" He asks, making me narrow my eyes. I already knew that krogans would treat you depending on how you acted, so I was determined not to show any fear. I also removed my hood and bandana-mask, so that he wouldn't be able to accuse me of hiding myself.

"I figured I'd get to know the other members of the ground team before our first mission. After all, I'd like to know that no one is going to shoot me in the back." I tell him with crossed arms. "And I'd also like to figure out if I'm going to need to do that shooting myself to someone else." I tell him. He regards me for a moment, before a smile makes its way onto his face. Good, I've managed to get on his good side with a comment like that. Need to store that away for future reference.

"Urdnot Wrex." He greets, myself nodding as I can tell that Wrex is the kind of Krogan that hardly speaks, and yet when he does, it's usually blunt and to the point… Meaning that I'm not gonna get much out of him at the moment.

"Michael Daniels. I look forwards to blasting off some heads with you Wrex. And I can see that you like shotguns as much as I do… Meaning that do I have a weapon to show you." I tell him, a large smile growing on my face as a smaller one appears on Wrex's face. He lets out a deep chuckle that would probably make others shake in their boots.

"From the look in your eyes, it must be a good one." He says, making me let out my own dark chuckle.

"Oh, you have _no_ idea." I tell him, before looking in his eyes and sharing a smirk. Then I give a nod, which he returns, before I walk off. _Well, that's Garrus and Wrex down, I've already talked to Kaidan, that leaves Tali who's in engineering, and Ashley, who's just finished cleaning her assault rifle. Meaning that I can talk to her and not risk her messing up with her cleaning._ I think to myself, opting to just keep my hood and bandana-mask off for now, since it will be better if the members of the ground team know what I look like. As I get nearer, Ashley looks up, before getting a confused look on her face.

"Who are you?" She asks, quite bluntly I might add. But, I guess that my outfit might be the cause for that. I just give a small smile as I hold out my hand.

"The name's Michael Daniels, though I prefer Mike. Though, you may know me better as "The Shadow of the Citadel"." I say, putting quotation marks around my "title". "Though, I prefer Shade." I tell her with a shrug, making her mouth gape.

"Wait, wait, wait. _You're_ Shade?" She asks, getting a nod from me and a whistle in response from her. "Wow, and here I was thinking that you would be a Salarian or something with how sneaky you're rumored for being." She says, getting a laugh from me.

"No, nothing like that. Heck, the only reason that C-Sec had a hard time getting me was because of two reasons. One is because of the 24 years of practice that I've had because of being a street rat, and also because of my hacking skills, which has made it so that they can't catch me outside of visual sight. So, I've effectively made it so that they can't catch me what-so-ever." I tell her with a smirk. She just stares at me, before shaking her head slowly as she looks at the floor.

"Wow… Just, wow. How is it that the Alliance hasn't offered you a chance to join in the spec ops yet?" She asks, making me laugh.

"Oh believe me, if they could catch me, I'm almost certain that they would do just that. Though, after bad mouthing Udina a bit, he might want me arrested instead." I tell her, my smirk growing as her mouth gapes.

"You bad mouthed the ambassador?" She asks, making me nod, and getting a chuckle out of her. "You've done what most of the people in the Alliance has wanted to do for a while now." She says,

"Oh, I don't doubt people have wanted to bad mouth "Mister Sunshine" for a while now." I tell her, getting another chuckle as she nods her head in agreement. "Anyways, the reason that I came over here was because I figured that I'd at least get to know the members of the ground team before the first mission." I tell her, getting a nod in response. So, we go on to converse about little things, and when I learn about her xenophobia, I decide to try and rectify that. "Ashley, I can understand why it is that you dislike them. But in my eyes, and I'm almost certain that in everyone else's eyes besides the Alliance, your grandfather did the right thing. Think about what might have happened if he _didn't_ surrender." I tell her, making her seem to zone out as she does just that. "I'm telling you right now, no one is to blame. And if anyone is, it's the Alliance for blacklisting your family." I tell her, before placing my hand on her shoulder. "Take some time to think about that." I say, patting her shoulder before getting up and walking over to my locker… Only to find a red haired bombshell standing there. "Shepard." I greet with a nod, getting one in return, before she smiles.

"So there _is_ a man under all that clothing." She says with a teasing smirk, myself giving a smirk of my own in return.

"Hey, I like to stay in the shadows and keep people from knowing who I really am. Imagine the people that would constantly hound me to join them if they found out the truth about me. Heck have a feeling the _Cerberus_ has already had people attempt to find me and find out if I'm human." I tell her, letting my disdain for Cerberus show as I spit out their name. She seems to think about it for a minute, before she nods in response.

"Yeah, I guess you have a point there." She agrees, before I notice that she's dressed in her armor.

"New mission?" I ask her, getting a nod in response.

"Yeah, a beacon was set up on Edolus, the planet we're heading towards. I want you, Garrus and Tali on the ground with me. Think you're up for it?" She asks. My response is to smirk, open my locker, and bring out my MA5C and M90.

"Do these answer your question?" I ask her, getting a smirk in response, before she makes her way over to the Mako to get Garrus, as I'm sure that she's already called Tali up via her Omni-tool. And a quick glance at my own solidifies that fact when I see Tali's signature moving towards the cargo hold. As I continue towards the Mako and follow Shepard, I force myself to keep my gaze away from her ass, already knowing that there are two possible outcomes from that. _Keep your gaze on her back, or head, until you're _sure_ that she won't bitch slap you for it. And if she's the kind that's flirtatious and likes to be admired… Bonus._ I think to myself, allowing a smirk to show beneath my bandana-mask as I throw my hood back over my head, shrouding it in shadows once again.

When we arrive at the Mako, I give a nod to Garrus, and then to Tali when she shows up. Shepard gets into the driver's seat, with myself next to her so that I can watch for any incoming projectiles, as well as look over the terrain. "Joker, open the cargo doors." He says, everyone else having already left the cargo hold when the announcement of the Mako being released was told.

"Sure thing Commander. Opening cargo hold doors now." Joker's voice says over the coms, just before the doors in front of us open up. As soon as this happens, Shepard floors it, and we go flying out of the ship into a free-fall, Tali and Garrus swearing in their respective languages in the back. Meanwhile, me and Shepard…

"Wooooohooooo!"

"Fuck yes! Ahahahahahahaaaaa!"

We're having the time of our life. Unfortunately, it comes to an end too soon, as Shepard activates the thrusters on the bottom of the Mako, and slows our decent onto the planet, before we touch down. "Shade. Are you getting a reading on the beacon?" She asks me, making me look at the holo-screen in front of me, before zeroing in on the beacon in question.

"Yup, got it right here Shepard. Head about three clicks north-west, and we should arrive at the sight. Although, I'm also picking up a few crashed probes if you want to raid them, and see what we can't pick up." I say, getting a nod in response, before she looks over her shoulder at the others.

"Buckle up ladies, things might get a little rough." She says, before looking back at the terrain with a gleam in her eyes. I buckle up with the others, but instead of being apprehensive like them, I have a large grin on my face.

"Please tell me you plan on hitting all the rocks that can act as jumps as you can." I say, making her turn to look at me with the smile still in place.

"Of course." She says, making my grin grow to match hers.

"Perfect."

* * *

**Author's Note Part 2: Well, that's about it for this chapter. I know that it's a small one, but I want to have it so that the Edolus mission takes up its own chapter. So, this was more of a filler chapter. Don't worry, the filler chapters that are to come will be longer, but this filler one was basically just "meet some of the crew members and get to know them". So, others will most likely be more along the lines of events taking place aboard the ship, day to day things, stuff that shows up in other Mass Effect fanfictions.**

**Now, as for the Femshep x Mike romance. As I've already told you, I'm practically going into this blind, since I only have other fanfictions to go off of. So, I'm not entirely sure when it is that the two will get together. However, I ****_do_**** have plans for the Noveria mission, involving the Rachni. So, you can look forwards to slight changes made during the parts that they go through the labs.**

**I think that's about all I have to say for now, so thanks for taking the time out of your day to read this filler, and I hope to see you all next time!**


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